Mobile phone towers soft targets for Maoists in Bihar

Patna, Oct 4 (IANS) Mobile phone towers of private cellular operators are increasingly become soft targets for Maoists in Bihar, with over half a dozen of them being blown up in the past one week, police said.

The towers were blown up in Gaya and Aurangabad districts, a police official said.

According to the police, Maoists first blew up two mobile towers in Ketaki village and then two others in neighbouring Aurora village of Aurangabad. The mobile towers belonged to Airtel and Reliance Communications respectively.

Last week, Maoist blasted three towers - two of Reliance Communications and one of Airtel - in Gaya district.

'Towers have become a soft target for the Maoists. They take advantage of the lack of adequate security,' a police official said here Saturday.

In the wake of the attacks, all private cellular operators have demanded adequate security from the government to protect their towers.

Police officials said that Maoist guerrillas have also been attacking towers as some top Maoist leaders were arrested after their location was tracked through their mobile phones.

'We arrested some hardcore Maoist leaders after we intercepted their mobile phone calls and located the area through the mobile phone towers,' the police official said.